1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit card and connector arrangement using an integrated circuit card, such as a personal computer, a hand-held computer, and a TV game machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integrated circuit (IC) card electronic apparatus is a kind of equipment in which information is electrically transferred between circuitry on the electronic apparatus and IC circuit in a card with desired functions or programs, which card is inserted into a card receptacle slot of the apparatus. The apparatus is common in personal computers, hand-held computers, TV game machines and other electronic equipment.
An IC card consists of a compact, thin inflexible card body typically measuring about 85.6 mm long, 54 mm wide, and 0.8-2.0 mm thick. An IC chip (integrated circuit device) having desired functions is built into such a rigid or semi-rigid card body made of plastic or reinforced cardboard, and numerous connecting terminals are arranged along an edge on the surface of the card.
On the IC card of this type, an IC chip is built into the card by inserting a printed circuit board with the IC chip mounted into a rectangular hollow positioned near the card edge on the surface of the body, with the chip mounting surface opposing the hollow, and by fixing the board with adhesive. On the board, are printed wire connections for connecting the circuitry in the chip with connector terminals. The terminals are printed metal terminals which are arranged along the board edge corresponding to the card edge on the board surface opposite to the IC chip mounting surface, and are connected to the corresponding printed wires via throughholes.
An IC card may be inserted into the card receiving slot on the electronic equipment A, with the card edge having the terminals oriented toward the card receiving slot and with the card face, on which the terminals are arranged, oriented toward the operator, until the card edge abuts upon the bottom of the connector slot. Thus, the terminals come into full contact with the corresponding springy terminals of the slot, so that the IC circuit on the card is electrically interconnected to the control circuit on the electronic equipment to allow information to be transferred between them.
The connector is molded by plastic injection by which the springy terminals are molded at predetermined positions and intervals corresponding to the terminals on the card. Guide rails having a U-shape cross section are arranged in parallel and in opposition to each other at the left and right sides of the connector. The left and right edges of the card are inserted to the grooves on the left and right guide rails so that the card may be smoothly moved.
When an IC card is inserted into the card receiving slot on the electronic equipment, the specified card edge must be oriented toward the slot and the specified card surface toward the operator. The card may often be inserted by mistake with the back surface oriented toward the operator with the opposite edge oriented toward the slot. In this case, of course, the IC circuit on the card cannot appropriately be connected to the circuit on the electronic equipment. In addition, the terminals on the connector and/or the edge and surfaces of the card may be damaged. With some types of connectors, the card which has been inserted incorrectly cannot be pulled out, or otherwise becomes hard to pull out. If it is forcefully pulled out, the connector terminals or the card may be damaged.